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Tri-C Students Build Robot for Cleveland Police Bomb Squad

Teens in the Youth Technology Academy design and construct device

CLEVELAND — Award-winning students from the Youth Technology Academy at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) designed and built a specialized robot for use by the Cleveland Police Department Bomb Squad.

The all-terrain “YTA ScoutBot” allows officers to remotely view potentially hazardous areas to assess for threats. A panning camera on the mobile device provides a live video feed to the operator, who can be up to 400 feet away.

Students recently presented the robot to bomb technicians so they would have the tool in advance of the Republican National Convention and other upcoming events in the city.

The battery-powered robot is roughly 12 inches tall, 18 inches long and 6 inches wide, making it small enough to roll under many vehicles to inspect the undercarriage. Flashing red and blue LED lights atop the six-wheeled robot add some law enforcement flair.

Officers from the bomb squad worked with the students on the design and stopped by the YTA lab at Tri-C’s Advanced Technology Training Center several times to visit with the team.

"It is an honor to receive such an impactful tool built by the young men and women of Cuyahoga Community College,” Cleveland Police Chief Calvin D. Williams said. “These award-winning students have gone above and beyond to assist law enforcement and make our community safer by participating in this project."

Engineering of the robot began in the fall, when the team received general requirements for the device. More than a dozen students worked on the robot between classes and various robotics competitions.

Students who worked on the project were also part of the YTA team that won the 2016 FIRST Robotics Competition Championship, an international engineering showcase with 75,000 participants from 24 countries.

“The training that students receive in the robotics program has real world applications, as they learned while participating in this project,” said George Bilokonsky, executive director of the Youth Technology Academy. “To use those skills to help the community only adds to their experience at Tri-C.”

The Cleveland Police Foundation contributed $500 toward the project, which went toward a chassis, camera and a few other components on the robot. Students also used leftover parts in the YTA lab.